The derivation of its name is a mystery. It has no other meaning in Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian, or Hungarian than a dance called Sojanca.

SOURCE:

Dick Oakes learned this dance from Steve Kotansky who learned it in the small village of Osnić in East Serbia. Steve presented it at the 1981 San Diego State University Folk Dance Conference.

BACKGROUND:

Osnić is near the town of Boljevac and is close to the Bulgarian border. The Vlach people of this mountainous area refer to themselves as "Ungurijani," meaning related to the "Hungarians," and call the neighboring Vlasi lowlanders "Carani," meaning "peasants," or people who work the earth. Boljevac is a town and municipality located in the Zaječar District of Serbia.